Bellone plans north-south transit connections

A long-talked about plan to implement north-south transit across Long Island received new life today.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone unveiled his “Connect Long Island” plan today in Hauppauge. The plan would tie several transit-oriented development projects and downtowns together through the creation of north-south rapid-transit bus routes. The creation of north-south transportation is vital to grow the county’s economy, Bellone said.

“We can’t grow our economy by adding more cars to the roadways,” Bellone said. “Right now it’s impossible to move around Long Island without a car.”

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Bellone proposed creating rapid transit buses along several north-south routes in order to link parallel-running Long Island Rail Road lines and train stations. Plans for a rapid-transit bus line along the Route 110 corridor have already been started by the Town of Babylon, but Bellone suggested implementing the system along the Sagtikos Parkway and Nicolls Road as well. The Sagtikos Parkway line would connect the Kings Park train station to the Deer Park train station, a short distance away from where the Heartland Town Square development is projected to be built. A Nicolls Road transit line would connect Stony Brook University with the Ronkonkoma Hub and the Village of Patchogue.

In addition, Bellone proposed creating a rapid-transit bus line from the train station in Yaphank – an underutilized area, he noted – to Brookhaven National Laboratory. Other research institutions have railroad stations within a closer vicinity.

The final part of the Connect Long Island plan would be to implement innovation zones – publicly owned parcels that would be given to tech start-ups commercializing local research with huge tax breaks. Bellone touted the innovation zone idea during his campaign last year, and now said connecting them to public transportation would further push economic development.

The county executive suggested creating innovation zones next to the Brentwood and Riverhead campuses of Suffolk Community College, as well as at the Enterprise Park at Calverton, Gabreski Airport in Westhampton and possibly the former psychiatric center in Kings Park.

“We don’t have enough contiguous land for one Silicon Valley or Research Triangle,” Bellone said. “But if we can connect each of these together, Suffolk County can become an economic powerhouse.”

The Connect Long Island plan will not be without its obstacles, first and foremost the ability to fund such a large infrastructure undertaking. Connecting the Deer Park train station to the Kings Park line would likely necessitate another transit bus-only lane on the Sagtikos Parkway, meaning the road would need to be widened. And community opposition is always a likely possibility on Long Island. Bellone noted the county wouldn’t do anything the local communities didn’t want.

“The county should never be in the position to force anything,” Bellone said. “This is everyone’s plan. We’re just piecing together what’s already happening in each of these locations.”